1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to waveguides, and more particularly, to a waveguide comprising a particular construction so as to suppress the SBS effect. It will be understood that a waveguide is likewise commonly referred to as fiber optic cable, or fibers.
2. Background Art
The use of waveguides in various industries such as telecommunications and lasers, among others, has been steadily increasing. While the ability to send optical signals through waveguides is well known in the art, certain phenomena have been observed. In particular, one effect that has been observed is the Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) effect. SBS is an important example of a stimulated scattering process; light scattering which occurs when the intensity of the light field itself affects the propagating medium. This phenomenon has become relevant in the optical fiber industry, due to the increasing intensity required in optical fiber cores and the relatively long interaction lengths. SBS is one of the major limiting factors on the amount of power that can be transmitted via an optical fiber.
Certain prior art references have attempted to suppress the SBS effect through the use of waveguides which have particular constructions. While some of the solutions have suppressed the SBS effect to some extent, many of these waveguides have constructions which are difficult to manufacture on a large scale, or which are economically not feasible.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art. For example, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waveguide construction which is both economical to manufacture and feasible to manufacture which suppresses the SBS effect.
It is likewise an object of the invention to provide enhanced suppression of SBS through further development and improvement of the fiber disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,623. The entire disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,623 is incorporated herein by reference.
These objects as well as other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification, claims, and drawings.